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Kolkata Knight Riders, who have blown up their terrific start to the IPL 2022, will take on Rajasthan Royals in the match no. 30 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on April 18. Both the teams are coming off a loss and will be desperate to get back on the winning track.
RR have played five matches in the season so far, winning three and losing two with net run-rate of 0.389. Sanju Samson’s men had a very good start, winning the first two but lost two out of the next three. In their most recent fixture, the Royals suffered a big 37-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans.
The Royals’ bowling attack was taken apart by Hardik Pandya, Abhinav Manohar and David Miller, conceding 192/4 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Jos Buttler got the team off to a blistering start with his 54 off 24. But after his dismissal at the end of the powerplay, RR kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually restricted to 155/9.
KKR started with three wins out of four matches but have managed to derail their campaign with back to back losses in the last two outings. They have three wins and as many defeats in the season so far with their net run-rate reading 0.223. Their last fixture saw them go down by seven wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Knight Riders had a poor start to their innings but Nitish Rana played a fantastic knock of 36-ball 54 while Andre Russell blasted 49 off 25. KKR reached a good total of 175/8 but their former player Rahul Tripathi blew them away with a magnificent 71 off 37. None of the KKR bowlers apart from Sunil Narine could contain the runflow as they lost the game with 13 balls to spare.
Key players
Arguably the best T20 batter in world cricket, RR opener Jos Buttler has been sublime in the ongoing season, leading the batting charts with 272 runs from five games at an average of 68 while striking at 153. Overall, he has smashed 1419 runs in the IPL as an opener at an average of 42 and strike rate of 152.
At his full fitness, Andre Russell is the biggest asset in T20 cricket as his ability to destroy the bowling attacks and bowl fast makes him a key player.
The KKR superstar seemed to have found his old self this season, hammering 179 runs at an average of 60 and strike rate of 179. Overall, Russell has 1879 runs in the league at 31 average along with 77 wickets.
Yuzvendra Chahal is the best leg-spinner in India and one of the best in the game. After a few months of bad form, he has returned to his best, picking 12 wickets in just five games at an economy of 6.80. His IPL numbers are pretty impressive, having claimed 151 wickets in 118 games at 7.54 rpo. Chahal will be crucial to the Royals in handling the threat of KKR batters.
Sunil Narine is one of the trailblazers when it comes to T20 cricket. The 34-year-old mystery spinner has constantly evolved and has remained a threat even now. He has picked four wickets in the IPL 2022 while conceding runs at an exceptional rate of 5 rpo. Overall, Narine has snared 147 wickets in the league at an economy of 6.67. Narine remains a key player against the Royals.
Prediction
Talking about the head to head record between these two teams, KKR lead the scoreline by 13 wins compared to 11 by RR. As for the last five matches, KKR lead by 3-2.
Coming to the squads, the Royals have several impact performers in Buttler, Samson, Chahal and Shimron Hetmyer but have lacked the overall balance. Buttler’s form is great news but the lower middle order looks weak. Trent Boult’s injury further hampered their seam bowling attack, which already lacked a death specialist.
The Knight Riders have a shaky top order, with captain Shreyas Iyer’s form also being a concern. Russell has seemed to be back at his best, which is a big relief for the team. The bowling attack remains a huge concern for KKR. The likes of Russell, Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy have gone for plenty of runs in the season.
The toss could play a crucial role in this match as four out six matches played at Brabourne Stadium in the IPL 2022 have been won by the team batting second. Overall, there’s not much to separate the two teams but the Royals should head into the game as slight favourites.
